A Chance Not Taken
by TheTrueMrsEdmundPevensie
Summary: Derek played this little scenerio in his head, thinking of what could've been if he hadn't agreed with what Casey had said. Thinking about the amazing chance not taken.


Derek took another bite of his cereal as Casey walked into the kitchen, a book clutched in her hands.

He looked up and said, "Hey, what are you doing up so late?"

"Picking courses for next year." He looked at the cover of her book, realizing it was the same one that he himself was holding. "There are so many _amazing_ classes."

"I know! Women's Literature, Feminists Theory."

"Derek, you're only taking those to meet girls!" Casey stated in disbelief, although she shouldn't be surprised, considering how well she knew the boy standing in front of her.

He scoffed. "Yeah. But maybe I should just take the classes you're taking and then take all your notes." The thought of _still_ being in the same classes together crossed both of their minds, and personally he didn't think it was a horrible arrangement.

"Forget it! And, do me a favor. When you see me in the quad, pretend you don't know me."

"Are you kidding? We are gonna be best buds. Cause then you can introduce me to all of your sorority sisters." He said while smiling his usual cocky grin.

"Derek, you are the most annoying brother-"

"_Step_-brother." He interrupted her.

She looked at him for a moment and said, "Same difference."

_He stared at her, that single comment ripping through him and slightly breaking his heart. They were in no way related, so why would she say that? He suddenly felt angry and let out a sigh of frustration._

"_No, it's not. Casey, we're not nor will we ever be real siblings! Besides, I don't want to be!"_

"_Why not?" Casey retorted, looking rather appalled._

"_Because, it wouldn't be right."_

"_That's why? Please, tell me why it would be so horrible."_

"_Because…because I wouldn't get to do this." He said before moving from his spot behind the counter and over to her. His hand went up and cupped her cheek, pulling her closer to him. His other hand rested on her hip as his lips crashed onto hers._

_She kept her eyes wide open, very surprised. Was Derek really kissing her? She was too shocked to respond, so she just stood there as Derek kissed her. He pulled away, only far enough to look into her eyes._

"_That's why." He whispered before grabbing his book off of the counter and disappearing upstairs. Casey just stared after him, too dumbfounded to even speak._

_The rest of the summer, Casey would avoid Derek as best she could. She'd spend most of her time either with Emily or studying locked in her room. And everyone knew not to bother her when she was studying. The only time she would see him would be at their family dinners._

_They would never speak of the kiss to anyone, not even their parents. Casey would think about telling Lizzie, but somehow it would get around and she wouldn't know what to do. Lizzie was never really good with keeping secrets, especially from Edwin._

_Finally University would come, and the two of them would be off to start their futures. She would live in a dorm with a soon-to-be friend and he would live in an apartment off campus with a buddy. They would see each other on campus, either in the quad or in some classes, but Casey would go out of her way to get away from him. _

_He would want to talk to her. He'd try calling her, but she would never pick up. He would try cornering her, but her being her, she would always somehow get out of it._

_Finally he would get tired of this little game. He'd miss her terribly. Not talking to her, not seeing her, not hearing her laugh or seeing her bright smile, not being a part of her plans that would inevitably fail, like always. It would kill him to be away from her, so he would get determined to see her alone somehow._

_He would one night go to her dorm, knowing her roommate wouldn't be there. He would knock at her door, and as soon as she sees his face, she would try to close the door in his face. But he would put his foot in front of it, stopping it from closing all the way. He would walk in and ask her why she had been avoiding him for months. They would finally talk, and all secrets would be revealed._

"_Why did you kiss me?" she would ask._

_He would come closer and whisper, "Because I love you." _

_She would stare at him, tears slowly coming visible in her eyes. One would fall down her cheek and he would wipe it away gently. Finally a smile would spread across her face as she comes closer, closing the space between them. Their lips would meet once again and it would be magical, sparks flying and fireworks going off._

_From that night on, they would date. She would be uneasy at first, seeing as though they had despised each other for most of their lives, and now they would be in a romantic relationship. She would think twice about it and even consider breaking it off, the thought of them together not being right. But as soon as she would see his smiling face and feel his lips on hers, all thoughts of doubt would drift away, it being replaced by thinking that nothing could be better._

_One day, when they would be visiting home, they would decide to tell everybody about them. Nora and George would be shocked, Lizzie would say nothing, Marty, being so young, wouldn't think much of it, and Edwin would breathe a sigh of relief, whispering, "Finally."_

_Their parents would be fully against it at first, telling them that they are family and it's just not right. Tears would be shed and yells would be exchanged, the couple getting angry. But, no matter how much of what George and Nora would say would make sense, it would never change Derek and Casey's minds. They both knew they loved each other, and nothing could stop that._

_Finally, their family would come to terms with their relationship, and learn to accept it. They would see how happy Derek and Casey would be, so they would just smile and agree. The Venturi-McDonalds would soon find it hard to remember when Derek and Casey hated each other, and life with the couple would become normal._

_Derek and Casey would graduate from college, and soon after move in together. Derek would become a famous director and Casey would be a lawyer, just like her step-dad. But on the side, she would be a part time dance teacher. It would be a few years before they settle down, and before Derek would decide to take the deep plunge. Marriage._

_He would find some clever way to propose, and she would be more than willing to say yes. Tears would run down her face as she'd wrap her arms around him, never feeling as happy. He would smile as well, feeling like the luckiest man in the world. They would be in total bliss._

_The wedding would be small. It would take place in the spring, inside of a little church. Emily would be her maid of honor, along with Lizzie and Marty as her bridesmaids. Edwin would be Derek's best man, with Sam and Ralph standing beside him. He would feel the most nervous he had ever felt, thinking that in just a few minutes, he would have a wife. _

_Casey would walk down the aisle, her own father leading her down. He would stop and kiss her on the forehead, then let her go, to Derek._

_She would smile brightly as they stood across from each other, hand in hand. The minister would say the usual words, but they wouldn't listen. They would be lost in each other's eyes, feeling happy and nervous and excited all at the same time._

_Finally they would say the words, "I do." to each other. "You may now kiss the bride." Derek would then embrace her in his arms, kissing her passionately. She would kiss back with just as much, and they would walk back down the aisle._

_They would see George and Nora, tears down her mom's face and a smile on his dad's. They would then walk out the doors and into their new life together._

_A few years would pass. They would by then have a house of their own, with a picket fence and garage. Then an event would happen that would change their lives forever._

_Derek would come home from work, hungry and slightly tired. When he would walk in, the table would be set and the room would be surrounded by candles. Casey would sit at the table, a smile trying to jump out from behind her lips. A small envelope would be in her hands as she would get up to greet her husband._

"_What's all of this?" He would ask, his eyes never leaving hers. _

_She would hand him the envelope, excitement written all over her face. He would open it, his eyes landing on a small picture. It would be odd, nothing normal. He would look back up at her, asking what it could be with his eyes._

_Finally the smile would break out on her face as she would say, "That's a sonogram. Derek, I'm pregnant!" _

_He would look at her, his eyes very wide. Suddenly a smile, similar to his wife's, would be on his face. He would laugh and embrace her, twirling her around. The only other times he would feel this happy would be when she'd said "I love you" back and on his wedding day. But nothing would compare to this moment._

_The next nine months would be tough. Casey was already emotional, so times that by a hundred. She would have weird cravings in the middle of the night and her hormones would be all out of whack. And she wouldn't make it very easy on Derek. _

_He would definitely complain about her behavior, and would be frustrated most of the time. But at the end of the day, when he would be lying in bed next to a sleeping Casey, he would smile. He would caress her face and, even though she would be a pain, he would whisper, "I'm so glad to have you in my life. I love you Case." A small smile would land on her lips as she would whisper, "I love you too."_

_The trips to the doctor's office would be somewhat fun. Especially the day when they would find out the gender of their baby. After a few minutes, the test would come back. A nurse would walk in and say, "Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, you are going to have a little girl." Derek and Casey would just look at each other and smile._

_The big day would finally come, right on time. He would rush her to the hospital, feeling panicked. They would check her into a room of her own and just…wait. Wait for the newborn life that could start to happen at any moment._

_He would call Lizzie, Nora and George, Edwin, Marty, Emily, even Sam. They would all drop what they were doing and come as quickly as they could manage. They would wait in the waiting room, while Derek would wait with Casey. _

_He would be pacing back and forth, but automatically stop when he'd hear her irritated voice. "Stop pacing! I'm already nervous enough, you're just adding on!" _

_He would think about retorting, but then seeing the look of terror on her face, his face would soften. He would walk over and sit in the chair beside her bed, taking her hand in his. "Case, don't worry. You'll be fine. You're so strong, you can get past this, I know you can. And I'll be on the sidelines, cheering you on. Just like how you did at my hockey games in college."_

_She would smile and say, "Thanks. What would I do without you, Derek Venturi?"_

"_You would be lost, Casey Venturi." He would never get tired of saying her last name. He would lean down and kiss her and never leave her side, until the actual operation._

_After a while, she would yelp in pain. He would be freaked, thinking something was wrong with her, or the baby. A few nurses would come in, placing her on a gurney and wheeling her out. He would follow as far as they would let him, then he would reluctantly walk to the waiting room. He always hated the feeling of not being in control._

_Time would pass, each minute making him more anxious. He would just want it to be over with so he could see his wife and baby girl. Finally the doctor would come out, saying that the delivery went well and that Derek could see Casey._

_He would walk quickly into the same room from before, suddenly stopping in his tracks. In the bed would be Casey holding a little bundle of a blanket. He would slowly make his way to them, Casey looking up at him and smiling. _

"_Here." She would say, holding the small baby out to him._

"_No, I-I don't want to break her."_

"_Derek, you're going to have to hold your daughter sometime." Casey would say with that same knowing smile._

_He would look at her, the look she would give him being a reassuring one. He would then nod and reach out his arms, wrapping them around the baby._

_He would look down at her, amazed at what he would see. She would open her eyes, revealing orbs that were ocean blue, just like her mom's. She would grab onto his thumb, causing him to automatically smile. Then a nurse would come in with a clip board and a pen._

"_What would you like to name her?"_

_Casey would look at Derek before saying, "Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn Nora Venturi." The woman would write down the name and leave the room._

"_I like it." Derek would whisper. "Katie for short."_

"_Yes." Casey would smile, looking at him holding little Katie._

_More years would pass, Katie growing up. Her first steps, her first words, her first lose tooth, her first bike ride, even her first boyfriend. Which Derek would be pretty hard on. He would be very protective of his girls, even if it made them angry at times. He would just chuckle and continue in his Derek ways._

_Finally the day would come that Katie would get married. She would love her husband, just like Casey loved Derek. And eventually have kids of her own. And the cycle would continue._

_Derek and Casey would grow old together, their love never dying. And eventually Casey would have died, leaving Derek alone. He would be miserable without her, not seeing her or talking to her. The spot in their bed where she would always lay being empty. But he would somehow find the strength to go on. His time on earth was going to end soon anyway, why not spend it being happy._

_He would then die, joining his wife up in heaven. Katie would be sad, but then have had her own family. Derek and Casey would be happy together, knowing that they had lived a full life and had no regrets. Their life together had been filled with love and neither would have traded it for anything._

This little scenario flashed through Derek's mind. This could happen, but he made the mistake of going in the other direction.

"Same difference." Casey said, a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, you're right." Derek responded.

They talked for another few minutes before Casey said goodnight and went up into her room. Derek stared after her, leaning on the counter. What they could've had if he hadn't agreed with her, would've been amazing. But, as always, he screwed up. Derek stared at the spot where Casey had been standing moments before, realizing the chance not taken.


End file.
